How to1. Draw your bird shape on paper and cut around the outline to make a stencil.

2. Take two pieces of leather and glue them together. If the leather is very thin you could reinforce it by gluing a sheet of thin card or paper between the layers.

3. Draw around the stencil on the reverse side of the bonded leather.

4. Sew the contrasting thread along the outline you have drawn. A sewing machine saves time and helps avoid sore fingers at this stage.

5. Turn the piece of bonded leather around so the right side is facing up and cut around your shape, leaving a few millimetres as a margin.

6. If you're after a layered look, repeat the instructions above to create a second bird shape. When you have both bird shapes ready, lay one on top of the other and glue them together. Hand sew a few stitches along your original stitch line on the top layer to attach the layers securely.

7. You can either use a safety pin as the attachment or a brooch pin. Hand sew the pin securely on to the back layer, making sure the stitches do not come through on the front layer.

TipYour own wardrobe could be a good source of leather in the form of old belts, bags or garments; otherwise try your local charity shops. Brooch pins can be found in craft shops, or if you have an old broken brooch you could use the fitting from that.